Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
